The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Nigeria’s film and video regulatory agency, has ordered cinemas nationwide to stop screening a film released on December 25, 2019, titled “Sugar Rush”. According to the Board, “the temporary approval given for the movie exhibition has expired.”
The film, released on Christmas day of 2019 is reported to have grossed over N160 million (about US$441,550)
Some critics believe the comedy-drama was yanked off cinema houses because the film tells the story of three sisters who accidentally discover $800,000 (N288m) in the house of a corrupt man and the failed attempts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover the money, depicting EFCC operatives as incompetent.
The Executive Director of NFVCB, Adedayo Thomas, debunked the allegations in a statement published on its official, Instagram account and took responsibility for the gap in communication.
Adebayo posted” “I, however, take responsibility for the gap in communication and the delay in granting final approval as the temporary approval given for the movie exhibition expired before we could release an official statement due to my preoccupation with extant responsibilities and a backlog of movies requiring approval as a result of the December rush. I am currently working with the distributor, producer, director and key actors to grant final approval for the resumed exhibition at cinemas.”
On January 16, 2020, the NFVCB through its Twitter handle @nfvcbng, announced it had given ‘Sugar Rush’ a final approval. In the tweet, NFVCB said: “We are pleased to inform the general public that the movie has been classified and granted final approval for public screening.”
‘Gold Rush’ was directed by Kayode Kasum, and largely publicised by Bankole Wellington aka Banky W and his wife, Adesua.
